Hit one of my favorite spots this morning without a lot of optimism based on the early spring and the gobblers unwillingness to gobble once off the roost. This particular spot is off the corner of a hay field that is about 150 yards wide and 400 to 500 yards long. It has woods at the top and bottom, a vineyard along one side and a ravine along the edge I’m sitting on. It eventually runs into Seneca Lake, the largest of the Finger Lakes (go figure).
I’ve been hunting this corner for almost ten years now and one of my favorite features of the spot is an old asphalt can seat that a deer hunter had left there years ago and that I take full advantage of during turkey season.
I was in my spot well before light and aside from a few deer and a opossum that almost walked over my boots there wasn’t a whole lot going on to boost my enthusiasm……..until the crows arrived! About a dozen of them landed in the trees over my head soon after it got light and did their best to see who could make the most noise. To my surprise at least 2 and maybe 3 gobblers on the opposite side of the ravine decided to join in and once they were awake even managed to acknowledge my slate call. For the next half hour they responded to every call I made and there was even a hen (uh oh) joining in with some soft yelping……………………..until they hit the ground and then NOTHING!
For the next 20 minutes I hammered away on the slate and even tried a mouth call (I’m terrible) out of desperation without any response at all. Then I pulled out the aluminum………clucked twice and started to yelp and got walked all over by at least two gobblers that sounded like they were at the far end of the field. Thinking they might be a band of Jakes I gave em a couple minutes, hit the aluminum again and didn’t get two yelps off before they gobbled all over the top of it and from less than half the distance. I put the call away, got my 10 gauge BPS at the ready and struggled to see through the dense foliage for my buddies.
After what seemed like an eternity (probably about two minutes) I couldn’t stand the wait any longer and started to stand up to get a better view into the field and spotted a hen on the edge of the woods. I bumped my scope up to 4 power and was watching her when I noticed the hay to her left moving. All that was visible was his back and the top of his softball head, which he immediately put down. The fan came up and went back down just as quick as I put the crosshairs on him and thought to myself, show me that head one more time……………… he did!
19.00 lbs.
9 ½ inch beard
1 ¼ and 1 3/8 inch spurs.
